25 Aug The Christian Case for Trump
Hear me out…
Isaiah 1:18 says, “Come, let us reason together.”
Can we do that?
Trump is the most polarizing President since the Civil War President, Abraham Lincoln. Many people are so anti-Trump that the mere mention of his name causes knee-jerk opposition among Christians and non-Christians alike. I understand.
But, picking up where we left off last week… let’s talk.
Trump’s weaknesses
Trump certainly has his weaknesses. A common response from Christians is, “a pro-Trump stance undermines the reputation and credibility of the ‘evangelical’ label.” I understand. In fact, in the early days of his presidency, I held a similar position, not having thought through the issues, and not having had the benefit of seeing Trump’s policies compared with the recent dramatic shift in the Democrat party to Marxist and socialist values, which are deeply anti-Christian.
But having had 3 ½ years of Trumps policies, and 3 ½ years for Democrats to fly new colors, the choice has become perfectly clear.
In this blog post, I want to focus, not on Trump’s possible political weaknesses, but on his personal weaknesses, because we are evaluating whether or not a Christian can support him as a result of his character and other flaws.
There are many accusations tossed out about Trump that are not true, or are certainly debatable. “He wants people to hate each other, he is a racist, his goal is to divide.” These accusations are political talking points and speculative. It is very difficult to truly and fairly assess someone’s motives.
But, let’s talk about actions that are not debatable, that are incontrovertible. These include a summary from a pro-Trump article at www.townhall.com by Dr. Wayne Grudem, professor of theology at Phoenix Seminary, author of Systematic Theology, a 1,264-page tome that has sold over a million copies, and regular contributor to Townhall.com (a conservative news source):
He is egotistical, bombastic, and brash. He often lacks nuance in his statements. Sometimes he blurts out mistaken ideas … that he later must abandon. He insults people. He can be vindictive when people attack him …. He has been married three times and claims to have been unfaithful in his marriages.
It’s a formidable list for a President. The question is whether or not these characteristics disqualify him, from an evangelical perspective, from being President. I do not think they do, and let me tell you why.
Trump compared to perfection
Compared to perfection, we would not choose President Trump. But perfection is not an option.
It is not wrong to want a president who is “presidential,” whose character is unassailable, whose manners inspire confidence and cooperation, and whose speech encourages unity and hope. But there are two observations we can make about that desire.
First, even if Mr. Trump were all those things, it would almost certainly not eliminate the left’s hatred of him. They have latched onto his “persona” as the primary target for their vitriol, but if that “persona” were not there, they would still be vehemently opposed to him and his policies because he is a threat to their existence.
It does not matter to us if a poisonous snake is beautiful or ugly, we are still afraid of it because it is a threat to us no matter what its appearance. Such is the case with Mr. Trump. The left would fight him with a vengeance, no matter his persona, because he is dangerous to them. His persona is just the easiest and most immediate weapon to use against him.
Second, to support a person’s policies does not mean we support all aspects of his character and behavior. Any serious evangelical would recognize and admit to Mr. Trump’s character and behavior flaws, but they are not sufficient to eliminate the value of his policies when compared to others whose policies would be the opposite.
I know that some evangelical Trump supporters seem to try to minimize his flaws by saying, “Well, we’re all imperfect, and God uses us. If God did not use imperfect people, He could not use any of us.”
To which someone might respond, “Yes, well, there is imperfection on an acceptable level and there is imperfection on an unacceptable level. Trump is imperfect on an unacceptable level. He is beyond the pale of saying ‘We’re all imperfect.’ There comes a level of imperfection that disqualifies you.” And that is, of course, true.
So the question is, does Trump rise to that level of imperfection? Well, we might look to the Bible for guidance in answering that.
David is often used as an example of an imperfect person whom God used, since he was an adulterer and a murderer. But I don’t think he counts in this comparison, because those were egregious exceptions to a life of otherwise high moral character. He deeply repented of those actions and for the most part, lived a life of deep belief in, and commitment to God. I would not compare President Trump to David.
The same is true with Paul (persecutor and murderer – 1 Corinthians 15:9) and Peter (coward and liar – Matthew 26:74-75), who both repented and changed dramatically. I would not compare President Trump with Paul and Peter, either.
But there are several biblical characters who were deeply flawed but whom God used anyway. The first is Samson, who was a servant of God on one level, but very imperfect. He violated the law of Moses (Judges 14:1-2), displaying great moral weakness throughout his life. He was a womanizer (Judges 16:1), vengeful (Judges 15:3-8), and deceptive (Judges 14:9). He was certainly not an example of a godly person, but for God’s purposes, He used Samson greatly anyway.
Two other examples are Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:34-37) and Cyrus (Ezra 1:1-4), two Gentile kings who did not convert to Judaism, who were not examples of personal godliness, and yet God used them dramatically for His purposes anyway.
I am not suggesting that President Trump is not a true believer. I don’t know his heart. But he is a significantly flawed individual, and yet he embraces many vital Christian beliefs and commitments, and tries to carry them out, at a considerable price. The values he is building his presidential legacy on are more clearly Christian than a number of his predecessors who openly claimed to be Christian, and certainly more biblical than his current political opponent.
To support a political candidate’s governing positions does not mean we affirm all aspects of his character and behavior. The question is, then, if his character and behavior are so bad that they outweigh his policies and political actions. I do not believe they do, and let me elaborate further.
Trump compared to Biden.
If we were comparing President Trump with an Option #2 whose policies were acceptable and whose character was unassailable, we would choose the latter. In that instance, his character and behavior would be sufficient for a Christian to choose Option #2.
But that is not the situation now. Our choice is between President Trump and Joe Biden. So, our choice is between two whole packages – both the character and policies of both Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden.
Here is how I personally assess their records and behavior on both matters. These are broad generalizations, and time does not permit a defense of each observation. However, I have listed three resources below that were especially helpful in coming to these conclusions.*
Behavior of Mr. Trump
Often egotistical, bombastic, brash
Often arrogant, impetuous, insulting
Occasionally vulgar
Occasionally seems erratic
Policies of Mr. Trump
Aggressively pro-life
Encourages influence of Bible in government decisions
Protects religious freedoms for Christians
Champions Judeo/Christian values
Openly pro-Israel
Behavior of Mr. Biden
Also often egotistical and brash (if not as much as Trump)
Also often arrogant and insulting (if not as much as Trump)
Also occasionally vulgar (if not as much as Trump)
Also occasionally seems erratic
Policies of Mr. Biden
Aggressively pro-abortion
Does not encourage influence of Bible in government decisions
Does not protect religious freedom for Christians
Does not champion Judeo/Christian values
Is not openly supportive of Israel
So, yes, President Trump is less than model in his Christian behavior, but the same is true of Joe Biden. He is not one I would want my children to emulate. And then, when you compare their policies, I come to three conclusions:
- President Trump’s actions are not so egregious as to nullify the value of his policies. If God was willing to use Samson, Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus with all their flaws, I accept that God can use President Trump with all his flaws (as He seems to be doing).
- The policies of President Trump are consistently biblical while the policies of Mr. Biden are consistently unbiblical, and are not policies that an evangelical should support.
- To choose “pro-abortion, anti-biblical influence in government, anti-religious freedom, anti-Judeo/Christian values, and anti-Israel policies” in order to get rid of a President with more “egotistical, bombastic, brash, arrogant, impetuous, insulting, occasionally vulgar, and occasionally erratic behavior” than his opponent is to trade merely off-putting behavior for truly reprehensible policies.
Conclusion
I conclude that President Trump, while having significant flaws in his character and behavior, is supporting deeply biblical policies in his actions. Joe Biden may be less controversial in his character and behavior, but is supporting deeply anti-Christian policies (which is, in reality, a true reflection of character and convictions). So, the choice between the two is clear if we use biblical principles to guide our decision. (I have listed several compelling online sources at the end of this blog for further investigation.)
An ad hominem argument, in debate, is attacking the other person rather than assessing his logic and arguments. As evangelicals, we must be careful to talk issues, policies, evidence, and Scripture, and not simply call people names. That way, we can all come to a clearer understanding of how to live out our faith in the political arena in these complex and polarizing times.
I urge you to carefully asses the specifics of both candidates and vote for the one who most fully advances biblical principles.
Dr. Grudem closed his Townhall article by saying: “We as a nation are facing many critical political decisions. We need God’s wisdom, which will come about through reasoned discussions. ‘But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere’” (James 3:17).
I couldn’t think of a better way to end.
So, come, let us pray for God’s wisdom and “let us reason together” as Christian brothers and sisters.
*There is much information out there, but so as not to overwhelm, I have selected these three articles out of my research which were especially helpful in forming my personal opinions:
1. For a careful and thorough defense from a Christian perspective of voting for President Trump, see:
2. Also see this voter guide: https://millionvoices.org/2020-voter-guides/2020-presidential-primary-voter-guide/
3. I especially found this film helpful: https://salemnow.com/trump-2024/. It is a paid film, currently $12.99 – the cost of a good burger, fries and beverage (NOT an affiliate link), addressing the “aggressive movement seeking to strip away America’s freedoms, teachings, values, and silencing our voice in religious, economic, and public places around the globe.” I encourage you to pay the modest price and view it. There is much at stake.
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